D'Antoni Resigns On Eve Of NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline is looming, and though more moves may be forthcoming before the 3:00 p.m. (ET) deadline on Thursday, there has definitely already been plenty to talk about.

On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors consummated a trade that sent Monta Ellis to Milwaukee with Ekpe Udoh and the injured Kwame Brown in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. As of Wednesday afternoon, it is the biggest deal that has hit the wire, though there are still grumblings as to whether players like Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard will be moved by the deadline.

The other news on the eve of the deadline involves the New York Knicks, but it has nothing to do with trading. Mike D'Antoni has resigned from his post after a substandard 18-24 start to the season. The Knicks take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, and they will be coached by Mike Goodson, an assistant who was most recently the coach of the Atlanta Hawks.

On the court Thursday, there are five games to discuss. In the showcase game, the Denver Nuggets are going to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center in a 9:00 p.m. (ET) tip.

The Thunder are hopeful that Kevin Durant isn't going to miss any time after sustaining a head injury in their loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Oklahoma City has looked mortal for the last week and a half, going just 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS in that stretch.

Meanwhile, Denver has been on the wrong side of a number of the ATS proceedings of late as well. The Nuggets are just 1-4 ATS and 3-2 SU on their first five games of this season-high nine-game homestand, and they are hoping to improve upon a dreadful 9-14 ATS mark here at Pepsi Arena.

In the other 9:00 (ET) tip for the evening, the Utah Jazz will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Beehive State. This is a crucial game as we wind down towards the playoffs in the Western Conference. These two teams are both on the wrong side of the postseason as of Wednesday, but are both definitely within striking distance of most of the rest of the conference.

The Jazz have covered three in a row in this series, and they are going to be helped by the fact that the home team has covered seven of the last eight when these two have met up.

The Los Angeles Clippers are still in a dog fight in the Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Lakers, but they are going to have a chance on Tuesday night to pick up some momentum when they take on the Phoenix Suns.

Just two weeks ago, the Suns beat the Clips 81-78 in an ugly game that featured terrible shooting on both sides in the desert, and it marked the seventh time in eight meetings that they have won a game SU in this series. Phoenix is also 6-2 ATS in its last seven against these Clippers, who have already lost the first two games both SU and ATS on this six-game homestand.

At 8:00 (ET), the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Hornets are going to duke it out in a game where something has to give. The Hornets are just 4-17 this year at home, but Washington is only 3-16 on the road.

The biggest favorites on the NBA betting schedule on Thursday are sure to be the Dallas Mavericks, who play host to the Charlotte Bobcats. Charlotte has never won a game in franchise history against the Mavs, going 0-14 SU and just 5-9 ATS.